


When in Rome

by DerRumtreiber



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: An excuse to write smut, Anal Sex, Gabe's kind of into it tho, Jack's dense af, M/M, Prostate Stimulation, Rimming, SEP era, friends to FUCK BUDDIES to lovers, gay!Gabe, gratuitous use of the word 'fuck', it's a time of exploration, minor internalized homophobia (Gabe), obligatory lol "war buddies" ok, soldier:24's adorable fluffy hair, sorry - Freeform, straight!Jack, until he meets Gabe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 05:16:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14301585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerRumtreiber/pseuds/DerRumtreiber
Summary: "No, Jack. He performed a routine medical exam, found nothing wrong, and while he was finding nothing wrong I popped the hardest, most embarrassing boner of my life. And then I came back to the room, jerked off twice, and have not been able to stop fucking thinking about it since."Wherein Gabriel Reyes could use a helping hand, and Jack Morrison has a very loose definition of "straight"; much fucking ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have about a thousand things to do before finals, so naturally now is a good time to get back into writing fanfic. 
> 
> This has been floating around in my head for awhile, but with the release of the new baby Reaper skin and the slow trickle of SEP lore, I decided to get it out before all my head canons are either confirmed or destroyed. Plus there isn't nearly enough r76 being posted to keep my hunger sated.
> 
> Mostly, though, this is just an excuse to write a few of my all-time fav kinks. It was supposed to be straight PWP, but then this first 3k words of totally unnecessary exposition appeared so I'm gonna post it so it doesn't end up in the WIP hell folder and jump right back into writing with the smutty smut. This'll probably end up 2 or 3 chapters, but WHO KNOWS. We'll see where it goes~
> 
>  
> 
> If you catch any mistakes please feel free to point them out. I just crowd source dat beta.

There's something wrong with Reyes.

 

Well, not _wrong_ wrong. He hasn't changed up his routines, is still a friendly shit talker with the other recruits. He still gives Jack hell while simultaneously mother-henning him after a hard day, even when he's about to drop from exhaustion himself. But something is off, and it's driving Jack crazy not being able to figure out what it is.

 

It's been just about six months since they started in the program. Bi-weekly injections that make them puke their guts out, shivery fevers and sweat drenched sheets. He'd have just chalked it up to that, except every trip to medical gets a little easier as their bodies adapt and change, as they grow stronger. As their sense of pain morphs to discomfort, agony to annoyance. If the injections were gonna knock Reyes out of the game, they'd have already taken him away in a body bag.

 

Jack's not totally discounting the possibility that whatever's coursing through their veins is what’s got Reyes in a tizzy. It'd be pretty in character for him to shove it to the side in front of prying eyes and hold his suffering until no one's watching. But Jack doesn't think it's that, and he likes to think that they've become close enough that Reyes would at least let Jack in, let him see if not help. Let his guard down.

 

So it's probably something else entirely, but Jack's been racking his brain and can't think of anything else that would have changed. Their schedules have been locked in since day one - nothing to start freaking out over now. They've got no contact with the outside world other than the occasional thoroughly vetted mail call, and Gabe unfalteringly reads out the letters his sisters send him like it's story time in the mess, regaling them all with the earth shattering woes of teenage girls and their clueless boyfriends. Maybe he's missing them more than he lets on, but Reyes is pretty pragmatic about their situation. Family is important, but that's half the reason he's here.

 

There's something, though. Something that's bothering him, making him close himself off. He's been less interactive, less in Jack's face when they're alone. Pulling away just a little, just enough that Jack knows it's happening, but not enough to call him on it. What would he even say? ' _I miss you slapping me upside the head and calling me names when we're hanging out. What's up with that?'_

 

Actually, it wouldn’t be the worst way Jack’s ever started a conversation. He just doesn't know where to go from there, and if he's being completely honest, there's a tiny part of him that's scared he's not going to like the answer. There's a part of him that's terrified that he's the reason. But damnit, he wants answers, and he wants to help, and if he has to just go for it, then that’s what he’s going to do.

 

And lucky him, he gets that chance quicker than he thought he would, walking into their shared room post-work out to find Reyes sitting on his bed. He doesn't look up when Jack enters, doesn't seem to actually notice him for a heartbeat. The look on his face... well, Jack would call it almost contemplative if he didn't know Reyes better than that. The man doesn't contemplate; He acts.

 

No time like the present, Jack thinks. He's going to have to make bigger decisions than starting a conversation about 'feelings' with his best buddy soon enough - just pretend this is a tiny step towards something bigger. A learning experience.

 

"Hey man," Jack says, trying for casual and landing somewhere around 'contrived and obviously rehearsed' instead; Gabe looks up.

 

Jack gives him his sunniest farm boy smile, which is probably a little much judging by the way Reyes' face immediately switches tracks from contemplative to deeply suspicious.

 

Jack clears his throat and tries again. "Hey, uh. If there's something you wanna talk about you know you can- well, I mean. I'm, uh, here. You know. If you want."

 

The suspicion does not abate, even as Reyes' eyebrows raise past what Jack would think physically possible. He stares. Jack stares back.

 

"Or, not?" Jack tries instead.

 

Can he still save face? He'd really like a do-over.

 

The impromptu staring contest goes on for another moment. Jack's eyes begin to water, some weird primitive instinct kicking in and not letting him back down. Then Reyes breaks.

 

Just not in the way Jack had been hoping for.

 

The laugh he barks out can probably be heard all the way down the hall, even through the steel bunker walls of their barracks. Gabe’s face softens a little, but the laughing doesn't stop, a drawn-out guffaw that calms down to a snicker and wheeze as he tries to catch his breath, falling back to lay on the bed and stare at the ceiling. It's nice to know he's not angry, Jack thinks, but being laughed at doesn't seem like much of a win.

 

"Ah fuck, Cornfed. Sensitivity training a mandatory part of working the fields, these days?" Reyes manages in between chest-shaking chuckles.

 

Jack is, quite frankly, offended.

 

"No," he huffs out, finally walking to his own bed to sit down and yank off his boots. "But maybe they should think about it in the _big city_."

 

It's practically a mutter under his breath, but Gabe still catches it over his fading laughter, and it sets him off again for longer than Jack thinks necessary. It's not that funny. Is it? Jack's never really been big on the whole 'talking out feelings' thing. Never had much of a chance. He's pretty sure it doesn't involve laughing at your friend when he is obviously just trying to be a good person.

 

"Sorry for worrying," he says, this time a little louder; he gets the point already - his friendly concern isn't welcome here.

 

"Shit, Chacho. You don't gotta try so hard. Looked like that hurt," Reyes says, sitting back up to look at Jack and wiping at his eyes with the back of a hand. He looks pretty happy, at least, so maybe it's a win overall? "I'm fine. Nothing wrong here."

 

Jack is skeptical. Gabe might not want to talk about it, and Jack can (well, should) respect that. But there's definitely something off. It may have taken him three full days to notice, but he's not _making it up._

 

He could just drop it. He probably should just drop it. He's done his friend-duty, and Gabe is giving him the out.

 

"I don't believe you," Jack says, in lieu of dropping it.

 

Reyes is doing things with his eyebrows again that Jack knows means he's holding back whatever he's actually thinking. This is a good sign, because it means he's probably still amused, and Jack is pretty high on the short list of people Reyes will put up with a lot from.

 

"You don't gotta believe me," he says, voice level, though Jack can hear the hint of a storm brewing beneath. "You just gotta accept it. It's nothing to do with you, Jackie."

 

"Ha! So there is something!" Jack crows, and Reyes rolls his eyes.

 

"Ok, Morrison. You win. There’s something wrong. Feel better?"

 

Jack almost says yes, but he deftly avoids the trap. "No. You can still talk to me about it."

 

For a second, he thinks he might be winning this fight. But Reyes is a stubborn man, even more stubborn than Jack himself.

 

"I could. But I'm not gonna. Don't give me the puppy dog look, Farm boy. You don't wanna hear about this problem, I promise you. It's not a big deal."

 

Jack will be the first to admit he's not the most emotionally astute person in the world, but he's definitely sure he's getting some mixed messages here.

 

"I wanna hear about it because it's bothering you. C'mon, man, if it's not a big deal then what's the big deal?"

 

Ok, he's also clearly not the most eloquent, either. But it makes Reyes laugh again, just a quick chuckle this time, and it makes his expression go all soft and fond, like Jack is some adorable baby deer doing something dumb and endearing. He's never been crazy about how innocent people seem to think he is, but he's not above playing it up when necessary, either.

 

"Gabe, c'mon man. If it's not a big deal just tell me, so I can stop worrying. I'm not gonna be able to just let it go."

 

"Jesus, Morrison. I promise it's not something you wanna know about. I was in med the other day, ok? Y'know, that super fun appointment everyone was raving about? And I just - something... happened. Unexpectedly."

 

Jack remembers his own appointment all too well. He's not sure what exactly they were checking for when the latex gloves snapped on and the lube came out, but whatever it was he hopes they found it the first time. He does not want anyone going back in anytime soon.

 

"Wait. Something happened? Is something wrong with you? You just said it wasn't serious!"

 

Jack feels like he could write a thesis on the extreme range of human emotion based solely on how many different Reyes faces he's seen in the past ten minutes. This look in particular is... well, it doesn't speak highly to Jack's intelligence. He can tell they're edging closer to max tolerance, and he edges himself back a few inches on his bed. 

 

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with me medically, other than the currently unknown long-term consequences of whatever untested shit they’re pushing on all of us. I'm just as healthy as you are. Now we're going to drop this, ok?" Reyes says, very slowly, as if talking to a small child. Or, more likely, someone he is trying to not punch in the face.

 

He should definitely drop it now. Jack values his face the way it is, and there will be plenty of non-Reyes involved situations to mess it up in the future if he so chooses. But he's come this far.

 

"Ok, so you're not dying. Weirdly, that doesn't make me less worried," he says, also talking very slowly, hoping Gabe reads in his tone that nope, not dropping it, so just spit it out already.

 

He thinks he gets the point across pretty well, if the disgusted noise Gabe makes is anything to go by.

 

"You're a fuckin' asshole, you know that? You hide behind that sweet, all-American, Prom King personality. But you're just as much of a dick as any of us."

 

There we go, Jack thinks. Angry Reyes is not someone he wants to deal with on a daily basis, but Jack's gotten to know him well enough over the past months to know that with angry Reyes comes ‘doesn't think before he speaks’ Reyes. Which, in this situation, is the ideal Reyes. Jack, top of all his classes in military strategy, decides to just sit back and wait.

 

"Fine. You wanna know what's been bothering me? Doc put on the gloves, bent me over the table, stuck his hand up my ass, and guess what happened?"

 

Mr. Top-of-His-Strategy-Class knows that he should continue on with the plan of not talking. Unfortunately, he hasn't had any classes yet in follow through.

 

"The doctor performed a routine medical exam, found nothing wrong, and you were free to go?" he supplies helpfully.

 

Angry Reyes is gone. 'I can't believe that just came out of your mouth and I may never associate with you again' Reyes makes his appearance.

 

"No, Jack. He performed a routine medical exam, found nothing wrong, and while he was finding nothing wrong I popped the hardest, most embarrassing boner of my life. And then I came back to the room, jerked off twice, and have not been able to stop fucking thinking about it since. Which seems like the sort of information that might be _too much fucking information_ to share with your straight as a steel fucking rod roommate, don't you _think_ , Morrison?"

 

Of all the problems Jack had run through his head (and there had been more than a few - he can admit he may have put an unhealthy amount of focus into this) that was certainly nowhere near anything on his list. Still, he's a soldier, and thinking on the fly is in his skill set. He just has to be delicate. Diplomatic.

 

"OK. I guess I can see how that might be... disconcerting. But, and please don't kill me for pointing this out, aren't you gay?"

 

Jack knows full well he is a very lucky man that Gabe is so nonchalant about many of Jack's less informed impressions of human sexuality. He mostly seems to think it's hilarious when Jack puts his foot in his mouth. This time he doesn't seem like he's quite ready to just laugh it off. Instead, he seems to almost deflate, lose the steam behind his embarrassment fueled anger.

 

"That doesn't mean shit, Pendejo. It just means I like fucking guys, not that I like taking it up the ass. And let me tell you, before last week? I really, really didn't."

 

"I don't.. is it a problem that you suddenly do?" Jack is trying to be understanding; He really is. He can't help it when he just doesn't get things like this, but at least he's trying.

 

"Fuck, man. It's not a problem, per se. The problem is we're on a military base full of ass backwards hicks looking for anything to hold over each other’s heads, so they can pretend like they're king fuckin' alpha. 'Reyes is looking for someone to give it to him up the ass' is gonna go over something real fucking smooth."

 

Jack tries not to take it personally that Gabe frequently groups him in with said backwards hicks. He asked what was wrong, and he's getting what he asked for. So he tables his personal offense for what he hopes is a more sympathetic approach. Really, the thought that the other recruits might be ragging on Reyes when Jack's out of earshot is more troubling to him than anything.

 

"What about McCabe and Ruiz?" he asks.

 

"What about... are you serious, Indiana? McCabe and Ruiz _don't have dicks_."

 

"That's not what I meant!" Oh jeez, he's really digging himself in deep. "I mean, no one gives them shit about being together, right? Nobody cares. They already know that you're gay. How is this gonna change anything?"

 

Foot, meet mouth. Jack knows he's said the wrong thing before Reyes even composes himself enough to lecture him about just how wrong it is.

 

Except, he doesn't lecture, or start ragging on Jack again for being too sheltered to get the finer nuances of the struggle of being one Gabriel Reyes, combination homosexual and hard ass mother fucker.

 

"We're not gonna get anywhere with this, are we? Listen, Jackie, I get that you're trying to help, and I guess I can appreciate the sentiment, if not the execution," he pauses for a moment and gives Jack a very weary, pointed look. Fair enough. "But for once just take my word for it. It's not the same. It's not something I'm gonna broadcast. It's something I gotta deal with, and I'm dealing with it, and end of fucking discussion."

 

Jack nods along, trying to look appropriately chastised and supportive. Reyes doesn't owe him more of an explanation any more than he owed Jack the information that had just been twisted out of him.

 

"Alright, ok. You're right. I'm sorry," Jack says in response, instead of the half dozen other arguments he's sure he could come up with. "I shouldn't have pushed."

 

Blessedly, it looks like Hurricane Reyes has changed course and Jack will live to see another day. Gabe is back to looking at him like he's a dumb woodland creature that just doesn't have the capacity to understand complex human emotions, and that's pretty safe territory.

 

"Cool. OK. So, that was awful, and lets never do it again. I'm gonna go hit the mess hall and see if they're serving up dinner yet."

 

Crisis fully averted. Curiosity satisfied. A good day’s work. Jack will absolutely just leave it there and never bring this up again, and their friendship will go back to normal as Gabe gets over his little problem with the aid of... whatever it is that's gonna help him get over it which is clearly not Jack himself.

 

"I could help? You know. If you really wanted some assistance and didn't want to tell anyone else. Since I already know, and all."

 

Jack preemptively mourns all the beautiful sunrises he will now undoubtedly never live to see. Why does he never think about the things he's going to say before they fall out of his mouth? Unsurprisingly, it takes Reyes a moment to compose himself enough to reply.

 

"You could... what the _fuck_ , Morrison?"

 

Oh no, the look is back.

 

Jack quickly decides to backtrack. Kind of. "I mean, like. Not with... not with my dick. But you said it was because the doctor, y'know? I could... I could help like that?"

 

Reyes doesn't say anything, and that is a not a good thing. It's very obvious that whatever comes out of Jack's mouth next is not going to help the situation, so naturally he keeps talking.

 

"Just as, y'know. A friend thing. Friends do that sort of thing all the time. Well, I mean, not that sort of thing exactly. But, I mean, you watch some porn, jerk off. That's... that's friendly. Right? Doesn't have to mean anything."

 

"That what you farm boys do when there's no more corn to harvest or cows to milk? No homo, just a little hand job between buds?" Jack thinks they may need a towel to soak up all the sarcasm that Reyes is dripping on the floor.

 

"Well, I can't say that I've uh, had the chance personally. But, I'm obviously not against it."

 

He may not have the most life experience, and sure, some of his views were a little backwards before he was thrust under the caring tutelage of his current roommate. But he likes to think he's always been pretty open minded.

 

Reyes rolls his eyes. Jack is one hundred and ten percent sure that, were he anyone else in the world he'd already be in medical with a broken nose. Just in case, he turns the bambi eyes up to max, hoping Reyes doesn't decide he's finally had enough.

 

"Obviously,” Reyes sneers. “You might wanna look up heterosexual in the dictionary, Jackie, because I promise you no hand job given to a guy by another guy has ever met that definition. Thanks for the offer, I guess, but I'm gonna go force myself to forget this conversation ever happened. Please, _please_ let me leave this room without opening your mouth again."

 

And with that, Reyes is gone. The door doesn't slam behind him because they are on a civilized military base with those force dampening door-closey things, but it definitely closes a little quicker than normal. Jack waits until he can no longer hear the frustrated stomp of boots, then lets himself fall back onto the bed and kicks his feet up with a sigh.

 

All things considered, he decides that could have gone a lot worse. At least Reyes isn't dying of anything other than blue balls and an over-developed sense of machismo. He should probably take Gabe's lead and go ahead and start forgetting the last half hour ever happened, save the 'Everything's fine, _fuck off_ ' part.

 

And true to his resolve, over the next couple days he thinks he does a pretty good job of it, too. Things go back to the level of normality associated with being military-sanctioned, 'roided-up, not-quite-super soldiers. Training continues. Gabe stops giving him suspicious looks every few hours, like Jack is going to try and talk feelings at him again. Jack stays absolutely firm on his personal resolution to maintain that trust.

 

Which is why Jack feels it is supremely unfair when Reyes comes stomping up to him in the gym (the gym, really? They're roommates, why not wait till they're in their _room_ ), places his hands on the bar Jack is about to bench press, and bends over to look him straight in the eyes.

 

"Morrison. You know that thing I told you to forget? Yeah, we need to talk."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I BET YOU CAN'T SEE WHERE THIS IS LEADING, EH?
> 
> I can't decide whether Jack refers to Gabe as 'Gabe' or 'Reyes' in his head, yet. I might go back and pick one at some point, but for right now I'm going with the theory that they're at that weird close but not super close in-between phase, and Jack can't decide yet either.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then, there was smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deleted/ reposting this chapter because it did some weird formatting stuff when I posted it last night? Sorry if you've already seen it come through your feed~
> 
> Not sure this went exactly how I planned it in my head, but I guess things seldom do. 
> 
> Again, feel free to point out mistakes. I'll give it another read through tomorrow for more little mistakes I just can't see right now.

"Morrison. You know that thing I told you to forget? Yeah, we need to talk."

 

There are few things more intimidating in this world than being eye-to-eye with a supremely irritated Gabriel Reyes. Jack's seen him stare down the cockiest of their fellow recruits with little effort, and it's basically what passes as entertainment for him most days - no tv, after all - and the bigger they are the quicker they always seem to back down. He's pretty sure most guys would rather stare down the barrel of a gun, or maybe a rampaging t-rex. Jack's been in the hot seat a few times himself, though rarely since they got past those first awkward weeks when they were getting used to each other. Once Gabe figured out Jack wasn't about to go blabbing his every move across base he chilled out. Or maybe it just lost some of its effectiveness and Gabe figured it wasn't worth the hassle.

 

So it's been awhile since Jack has had this much ire directed right at him. He squirms a little but doesn't back down. One, because there's no way he can slide off the bench gracefully with Reyes boxing him in, and two, because he _hasn't done anything wrong._ Lately. That he can think of. So he goes for the same strategy he used when they first met - pretend he doesn't notice with a big, shit eating grin.

 

"Heya, Gabe. Wanna spot me?"

 

Reyes' glare hardens, and he moves in a little closer. He's freshly showered - Jack can smell the army issued soap and deodorant, can see a little rivulet of water tracking down the edge of Reyes' jaw from under his beanie, catching up in the couple days’ worth of stubble around his goatee. It's not up to regs, which Jack finds a little troublesome, since Gabe tends to be pretty on top of that kind of thing. Not as troublesome as being stared down like he set the guy's house on fire when he _seriously hasn't done anything_. But still. Jack notices these things.

 

"I've got two more sets, then I'm all yours," Jack says when Gabe fails to respond in any way other than glaring.

 

There's a twitch in Gabe's jaw, and he's the first to break eye contact, which is... even weirder than the not shaving and the cornering Jack in thing, if Jack's being completely honest.  Was it something he said? But then Reyes pulls back with a sigh and an eye roll and creepy, angry Gabe gives way to normal old barely putting up with Jack's shit Gabe.

 

"Fine," Reyes says, then immediately moves away to pull the 25-pound weights off the end of Jack's bar and replaces them with 45's to match the set already on there; He puts the 25's right back on, too. "But stop being a pussy."

 

"I was being safe!" Jack argues. "I didn't have a spotter."

 

Reyes stands behind him, looking supremely unimpressed with Jack's excuses. Just because the man is willing to be crushed to death under 275 pounds when no one else is around doesn't mean the rest of them had to be, too.

 

"Now you do. Get lifting, tonto."

 

Jack keeps grinning and squeezes the bar he still hasn't let go of.

 

"Aye-aye, cap'n," he says, and ignores any response Reyes may have to take in a deep breath, push the bar off its rack and lower it to his chest before pushing it up and all the way away from him on a long exhale.

 

He holds it there for a second and tilts his head back just enough to look at Reyes expectantly.

 

"One," Reyes deadpans, and Jack looks back to the ceiling, lets himself lower the bar again.

 

Up, breathe out; down, breathe in. Reyes counting off for him just behind, just out of eyesight.

 

"Fifteen... sixteen... how many in your damn set, anyways?" Reyes grumbles, but Jack's pretty sure he's just hiding that he's impressed.

 

"Twenty," Jack grunts out.

 

"Show off. Seventeen."

 

"Just trying to put off the inevitable," Jack jokes, and instantly regrets it; Reyes doesn't finish counting for him.

 

At twenty Jack reracks, slides down the bench and sits up, sweat sticking his shirt to his back where he'd been pressed up against the fake leather. He turns, expecting Gabe to be glaring, but he's got that contemplative look again from the other day, arms crossed across his chest. He'd ripped the sleeves off his own shirt a couple weeks back when they'd finally gotten too tight (seriously, what was in those injections, and why didn't Jack have that problem yet?) and Jack watches as the muscles in his arms and shoulders tense when Jack looks at him.

 

"One more set?" Reyes asks, and Jack shakes his head.

 

"Nah. Let's get out of here."

 

Now that Jack's ready, Reyes' impatience seems to have dissipated. He follows half a step behind all the way back to their room, turns sideways to avoid brushing up against Jack when Jack opens the door for him, muttering under his breath about midwestern manners. Jack has never seen Gabe face anything any way other than head on, and the weird mood is starting to rub off on him.

 

Jack lets the door shut behind them and follows suit as Gabe kicks his boots. Gabe sits down on the edge of his bed, but he doesn't say anything, and Jack just kind of stands there for a minute, wondering where best to place himself in case Reyes suddenly decides it's use Jack as a punching bag hour. Granted, it hasn't happened yet, but Jack's not putting anything past Gabe right now. This seems to be uncharted territory.

 

Maybe he should try a proactive approach? Jack's kind of afraid that if he waits for Gabe to talk they might miss dinner. Maybe even breakfast, tomorrow.

 

"Have people been talking behind your back or something? I swear I didn't tell anybody anything. Not a word. Whole thing was totally forgotten until you brought it up again. Cross my heart," Jack actually does cross his heart, which at least gets him an eye roll for his trouble.

 

"What? No, dumbass. That wasn't what I-," Gabe shakes his head, and for the first time today he seems completely unable to meet Jack's eyes. "I was gonna ask, uh."

 

He pauses, looking for the right words Jack assumes, and Jack tries to be both patient and ready to hear just about anything. He's getting pretty good at reacting to surprises, he thinks.

 

"That... offer. You made. The other day. Is it, uh," the last part of Gabe's sentence just kind of trails off into the room, but Jack gets the point.

 

It's not like he has to stop and think about _which_ offer. As much as he's honestly tried to forget ever being dumb enough to let that slip, he's basically been beating himself up over being so stupid and making Reyes uncomfortable. Apparently, he didn't need to worry.

 

"Wow. Uhm, yeah. Of course. Sure," Jack says, cringing a little at how eager he sounds to get his hands on his best friend's ass.

 

He's totally not. Really. Because he's straight.

 

But honestly? When Reyes had said he couldn't stop thinking about his _problem,_ Jack had been able to relate. Whatever was in that last round of injections, it was hitting everyone on base hard, and not just in a grow big muscles and need to eat twice their weight in food every day kind of way. The testosterone levels amongst their fellow recruits were sky rocketing. Fights were breaking out in halls over bumped shoulders. And yeah, people were starting to screw around like bunnies.

 

Jack's been able to contain it to his own hand in their room when Reyes is out, but there's a low shivery burn simmering just under his skin from the time he wakes up to the time he finally passes out to sleep. He's been pushing himself to his limit just for the easy release of exhaustion.

 

So, yeah. Jack's surprised Gabe is asking. But not that surprised. And Jack's... well, he's more than willing to lend a hand.

 

Reyes seems a little shocked at Jack's quick agreement. Or maybe just skeptical.

 

"Really?" Gabe asks, and Jack has to stop himself from nodding before he even finishes the word.

 

"Yeah, man. It was a real offer. No take backs. Did you want- uh, now? You want me to shower or something first?"

 

"Nah, you're fine. And nothing else going on, so..."

 

Jack very kindly doesn't point out that Reyes had specifically come and found him while Jack actually did have something going on. That seems counter-productive, based on how much effort it looks like it took for Gabe to even ask in the first place. Plus, this seems like more fun than endless pick weight up, put weight down.

 

Jack reaches for the hem of his shirt, pulls it up and over his head and tosses it to his bed before looking at Gabe, who's looking back like he's lost his mind.

 

"Uh, are we not doing this?" Jack asks.

 

"Pretty sure you get to keep your clothes on, if you want," Gabe answers, which, ok, yeah, duh.

 

Jack shrugs and walks over to the table by his bed. He opens the drawer and roots around for a second, pulling out a handful of little packets. He tosses them onto Reyes' bed with a proud grin. Medical had gotten wind of the latest side effects pretty quick and had just put a big box of supplies out in the hall to keep the unnecessary traffic down.

 

"Ch, boy scout," Reyes grumbles, and Jack gives him a wink.

 

It takes a lot of restraint to not make any jokes, and even more to not ask how, exactly, they were going to do this. Reyes is the one with all the experience, but Jack's pretty sure it's in neither of their best interests to point that out and start asking questions. He's just going to have to trust that Gabe gets over himself and starts bossing him around like he normally does.

 

Except, Gabe doesn't look like he's about to make the first move, here. For a man who is afraid of very little, apparently the courage doesn't extend to 'asking your straight roommate to help get your rocks off.' Not that Jack can really say he's ever been in the position to test that one himself, so he can't really blame the guy.

 

Take charge, then. OK. Jack can do that. He steels himself with a deep breath, walks the three steps across the narrow expanse between their beds, and pushes gently at Gabe's shoulder. He's almost surprised when Gabe follows his lead, lays down and kicks his feet up. It'd feel like a victory, except Gabe looks like he's about to march solo off into battle, not have a (hopefully) mind blowing orgasm.

He sits on the edge of the bed, right where Gabe had been a moment ago. He reaches for the waistband of Gabe's fatigues, unbuckles his belt and feels a shuddery breath rumble through Gabe’s body under his fingertips. It makes it feel a little more real, makes Jack feel powerful, and so he keeps going, slipping open the buttons of Gabe’s fly. When he goes for the waistband, Gabe finally, _finally_ , surges into action, grabbing loosely at Jack's wrist.

 

Jack's eyes flick up to his face, and wow. He really thought he'd seen every expression of Gabe's by now, but he was wrong. There's a little awe, there, like he can't believe Jack's actually doing this. A little suspicion, like he thinks Jack's going to suddenly stop. Ha, not likely.

 

"I got this, Morrison," Reyes says, and his voice is definitely a full octave lower than normal.

 

Pulling his hand free from Reyes' grasp, Jack motions for him to do his thing. He sits back a little so Gabe has room, and watches as he shimmies his fatigues and briefs down to mid-thigh. _OK,_ Jack thinks. _Guess everybody's keeping their clothes on today._ Then he flips over onto his belly and pulls his knees up under himself, balancing on his forearms, head hung low between his shoulders.

 

Zero to sixty and no eye contact. Huh. Well, Jack's learning the rules to this game as they go, so he doesn't let himself feel surprise, doesn't take any offense. This is what he offered, right? No strings, nothing personal. He's not sure what exactly he'd been expecting, but it's not like he's doing this for himself. This is all for Gabe, and if this is how Gabe wants it, Jack's not going to argue.

 

He's really trying his hardest not to say anything, because based on their last encounter involving this subject it's clear he's going to say the wrong thing, and right now the wrong thing might mean game over. But he still doesn't have a clue what he's doing, and he could really use some guidance. Reyes can't fault him for that, right? After all, he's the one who's got all the experience from the side Jack's facing. Literally.

 

"Ok," Jack says slowly, clearing his throat when the word comes out half broken. "OK, so, uh, any tips? Anything I should keep in mind?"

 

Gabe growls out a low sound of frustration as Jack's reaching for the first packet of lube. He tries to ignore how the sound makes that simmery, under the skin thrum that Jack can't shake heat and flare.

 

"Go slow," Gabe says, finally, sluggish, like maybe he's a little lost in this already. "Lotsa lube. You'll figure it out."

 

Great. Thanks, Gabriel. Very helpful.

 

Jack swallows hard and rips the packet open as he moves himself to fit in properly behind Gabe. He's sits up and settles in to straddle his knees on either side of Gabe's calves, sits back a little to look at what he's got to work with.

 

There's, well... there's quite a bit to work with. Jack can honestly say that he has never thought twice about another guy’s ass, but face to face with the one belonging to Gabe and- OK. He's just gonna admit it. It's a really nice ass, and he is suddenly very, very ok with doing this favor for his friend.

 

Gabe might have been onto something when he said Jack needed to look up heterosexual in the dictionary. He's pretty sure the thoughts he's having right now wouldn't be classified under said definition. At all.

 

A tremor goes through Gabe's body, shaking right through to his thighs, and Jack watches for a second, enraptured. Identity crises can wait, he thinks. He's got a job to do, here, and Gabe's definitely not gonna sit around forever just to be ogled.

 

Jack squirts some of the packet out onto the fingers of his right hand, rubs them together to get it nice and spread out, then he reaches out with his left (he is definitely not shaking, nope, steady as can be) and grazes his knuckles down Gabe's flank, lets the heat of his friend's body ground him. He grins a little when Gabe actually whines. Oh yeah, it's on.

 

Gabe didn't give much advice, but Jack puts what he did give to good use. He spreads Gabe apart slowly, digging his thumb into the muscle, watching it give under the pressure. He reaches out with his lube covered hand and drags the tip down, down from just under the small of Gabe's back, down the cleft where his cheeks begin to part, down the exposed crease and finally over the tight furl of Gabe's hole.

 

Through it all, other than that first little whine, Gabe is silent. But Jack is right up on him now, practically covering him, and he can see the way his breath shakes through his body as each exhale goes ragged in anticipation. _Oh, fuck_ , Jack thinks. He still has no idea what he's doing, but whatever it is, he wants to do it so fucking good.

 

"Sometime today, pendejo," Gabe hisses from the vicinity of the mattress.

 

_Yeah, yeah._ "Just getting the lay of the land," Jack quips, and gets a frustrated grunt in response.

 

He hasn't really done anything yet, sure, but whatever he's doing must be right if Gabe doesn't even have a comeback.

 

He pushes his thumb in just a little, feels as Gabe tenses at the intrusion, but then forces himself to relax and suddenly the resistance is negligible. Jack pushes in a little farther, pulls down a little, rubbing to coax the muscle open for more.

 

He pulls his thumb back and grabs the packet of lube from where he'd dropped it by his knee. There’s a little left and he goes ahead and squeezes it right onto Gabe, who jerks forward a little at the chill. He doesn't complain, though, and Jack figures it's time to actually get to work. He pushes in with his index finger this time, the extra lube and the prep before letting him slide right in to the second knuckle. He can feel Gabe tensing around his finger as he pulls back out, slides back in as far as he can. Gabe hisses in response.

 

"OK?" Jack asks, trying to keep his voice low and soothing.

 

"'s fine. Keep going."

 

Alright, then.

 

He stays at one finger for a few moments more, feels Gabe loosening and relaxing with each outward stroke. He seems pretty ambivalent to the whole process, like Jack really is just giving him a boring, if intrusive, medical exam, until Jack pushes at him with two fingers, slides in slow, slow, slow and steady and curls his fingers downwards.

 

"Oh, fuck," Gabe says, the words coming punched out and breathy, and his whole body quakes, squeezing tight around Jack's digits.

 

_'Oh, fuck' is right_ , Jack thinks, because Gabe's voice and the hot, tight, lube slick grip around his fingers is going straight to his cock. He gets hard so fast he's dizzy with it. Fuck, he really wants to make Gabe feel good.

 

He's feeling a little more confident now that Gabe is actually responding, and he doesn't withdraw all the way this time, when he pulls his fingers back. He presses down and into Gabe's body, massaging as he fucks his hand into him. Gabe fucks right back.

 

The angle is a little awkward and Jack's free hand is slipping where he's gripping against the meat of Gabe's ass. They're not quite in sync. He moves a few inches to one side and slides his hand up Gabe's back, over his shirt. He sits up a little, just enough to give him the reach to pull Gabe's beanie off, tosses it over the edge of the bed and slides his hand into Gabe's hair.

 

He doesn't mean to pull hard, just give a gentle tug so Gabe's head comes up and Jack can control Gabe's grind back onto his hand. But the sound Gabe makes when Jack's fingers tighten at his scalp is absolutely sinful, a guttural moan that Jack is sure he didn't mean to make. Well, he thinks, you learn something new about your friends every day. He tugs back harder this time, pulls Gabe back onto him as Jack pushes in with his fingers.

 

"Fuck," Gabe huffs out, breath ragged. "Oh, fuck, Jackie. Yeah, just like that. Oh shit, gonna make me cum."

 

Jack can't help the whine that falls from his own throat. His dick is throbbing, pushing up against the fly of his painfully tight pants. He grips Gabe's hair a little tighter, fucks into him a little faster. He wants to feel it so bad, wants to pull the orgasm from Gabe more than he thinks he's ever wanted to for himself. His hand is cramping from the still awkward position, and neither of them have the balance to get a hand around Gabe's cock, but Jack doesn't care. He wants Gabe to cum, and he wants him to cum like this, right here on Jack's fingers.

 

A few more thrusts and another hard pull at Gabe's hair later, Jack gets his wish. The body under his shudders hard, the tight heat around his fingers gets even tighter, almost painful. Gabe doesn't make a sound other than a sharp staccato of breaths and a final, low, satisfied groan when Jack releases his head and gingerly pulls his fingers from Gabe's body.

 

Fuck. He'd been _inside_ Gabe.

 

Gabe falls forward with a final deep sigh, plants face first into his pillow, pants still around his thighs. Jack's pretty sure it'd be a hilarious look at any other time, but right now, with his dick still throbbing in his pants, it just makes Jack... makes him _want_.

 

There's an awkward moment where he honestly has no idea what to do, what he's _supposed_ to do, until Reyes composes himself enough to turn over onto his back. His gaze is heavy lidded, satisfied, feline, and he looks from Jack's face, down his bare chest, straight to the very obvious bulge at his crotch. He'd be embarrassed if he had the capacity to feel anything other than the fire coursing through his body, straight to his cock.

 

"You gonna do something about that?" Gabe asks, a lazy, sated slur of words.

 

"I- yeah, I," Jack stutters out, eyes drawn to Gabe's thighs, shiny with lube and a little cum, to his softening dick, then above to the dark trail of hair over darker skin, peeking out from where his shirt is riding up.

 

Gabe watches Jack's eyes track up his body, and he brings his hands up to grab the hem of his shirt. He sits up just enough to pull it off, then falls back to the bed.

 

"That what you want, Jackie?"

 

Jack bites at his lip and nods, feels kind of like he's in a trance.

 

"Yeah," he says again, dumbly, not sure he's entirely in control of his words anymore. "Can I-?"

 

"Wanna cum on me?" Gabe asks, and fuck, Jack knows those words are gonna haunt his dreams; there's no going back from this.

 

He doesn't even bother with an answer. It'd just be a bunch of nonsense at this point, he's pretty sure. He fumbles at his belt, flicks open the buttons with more coordination than he thought he had left. He inches up on the bed and throws his knee over Gabe's hips, catches the way Gabe's eyes open a little wider, like he's waking back up finally. He takes his cock in his hand and takes a deep breath, just composing himself for a second.

 

Gabe crosses his arms behind his head, tilts his chin up, almost in challenge, and grins. Jack barely holds back a groan before he's stroking himself, hard and fast, eyes locked with Reyes until the last second when he looks down, sees his dick poised over Gabe's bare chest, rising and falling with each content breath. That's it, that's enough. Jack's done, didn't have it in him to hold out for long anyways, and he's shooting all up Gabe's abs, his pecs. Hits him at the base of his throat, and Jack has to close his eyes before the sight is burned into his brain forever.

 

A little sheepish, Jack tucks himself back into his pants when he's wrung the last shudder from his body. He almost sits back on his haunches until he remembers just where - on whom - he's sitting.

 

"Well, shit," Gabe says, finally, and the absurdity of the situation hits like a brick wall.

 

Jack starts laughing first, a little chuckle that he just can't keep in, but then Gabe joins in and they're both cracking up as Jack manages to move off Gabe's bed and over to his own. Gabe grabs the shirt he pulled off minutes ago to swipe at the mess on his body before tossing it hard to the side, right on top of Jack's face. He pulls it off with a grimace but doesn't actually say anything. He’s pretty sure he'd get called a hypocrite real fucking fast.

 

Once they've calmed down a little they just lay in their respective beds for a few minutes, catching their breath. Jack's enjoying the mellow calm that's come over his body, chilled out in a way he hasn't felt since before that last injection. He's betting Reyes is feeling about the same.

 

"Hey, Morrison."

 

"Mmm?" Jack has just enough energy left to turn his head and look over.

 

"Never did look up straight in the dictionary, did you?"

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno when I'll be able to write more of this, because it actually is time to crack down on studying now, but there's definitely more planned.


End file.
